08/17/2026
Polaris — The North Star
When people think about navigating by the stars, there’s a common misconception: find the brightest star in the sky and follow it north.
The problem is, Polaris isn’t the brightest star. It’s only around the 56th-brightest star in the night sky. Some of the brightest objects you’ll see at night aren’t even stars—they’re planets such as Venus and Jupiter. Mistaking one of those bright objects for the North Star could send you in completely the wrong direction.
A much more reliable way to find Polaris is with the Big Dipper.
Find the two stars on the outer edge of the Big Dipper’s bowl, Merak and Dubhe. Draw an imaginary line from Merak through Dubhe and continue it roughly five times their separation. That line points almost directly toward Polaris.
Polaris is special because it sits very close to the north celestial pole. As Earth rotates, the northern sky appears to circle around it while Polaris barely seems to move. That makes it one of the most useful natural navigation markers in the Northern Hemisphere.
For centuries, travellers, sailors and explorers have used it to find their direction.
So if you’re ever trying to navigate by the night sky, remember:
Don’t follow the brightest light. Find Polaris.
